


Swimming Lessons

by orphan_account



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Modern Era, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 11:32:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15023648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Living in the North, Sansa has never learned to swim. Before her vacation to Dorne, she signs up for lessons. Her swimming instructor defies all expectations.Written for the Summer 2018 Sansan Russian Roulette.





	Swimming Lessons

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AzraelGFG](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzraelGFG/gifts).



> Written for the Summer 2018 Sansan Russian Roulette! Azraelgfg asked for "Sansa, about 18 or so, never learned swimming, before she flies to dorne with jeyne for vacation she wants to learn. sandor happens to be her more than hot swimming teacher"

Sansa could not swim. She’d never had a need to learn. It was a skill with no use in the North: the deepest hot spring near her home barely ran hip-deep. 

Since Sansa and Jeyne were six, they had sleepovers nearly every weekend. Sansa’s father read them bedtime stories, but none captured their attention so well as the one about Dorne’s brilliant white beaches and dazzling golden sunsets. Ever since, Sansa and Jeyne had saved every coin they could so that one day they could see Dorne for themselves. Twelve years of hoarding allowances and the money they received in birthday cards and the tickets were booked, and Sansa and Jeyne could talk of little else.

“I bet the water feels wonderful this time of year,” Jeyne had said. “As soon as we get there, I’m going to swim out into the ocean as far as I can.”

Anxiety froze around Sansa’s heart at Jeyne’s words. She knew that they were traveling to a beach, but the reality that she would soon find herself surrounded by water had not slammed into her until that very moment.

And so Sansa found herself at the indoor pool at her gym after having answered a very questionable ad for swim lessons on the bulletin board. At the top of the flyer, the very enthusiastic “Swim with Sandor!” had been furiously scratched out. Below, in much messier handwriting was “Learn to swim” followed by another scratched out phrase and a phone number. As there were no other offers for lessons, Sansa had no choice but to arrive at the pool at the time agreed upon over text.

She crossed her arms over herself and glanced around self-consciously. She was becoming more uncomfortable by the minute and was ready to head back to the locker room when she heard her name.

“Sansa Stark?”

She turned to face the rough voice addressing her, and came to face to chest with a very large, very shirtless man. All presence of mind left her as her eyes raked up the hair dusting his abs and chest and settled on his face. One side of his face twisted in burnt, scarred flesh. His long, dark hair was combed to the side in a fruitless attempt to conceal it. 

The man’s eyes narrowed, and Sansa realized how long she had been staring. 

“Yes, I’m Sansa. And you’re Sandor?”

“Aye. Let’s get this over with. Get in over there and we’ll start.” He gestured to the shallow end of the pool. Sansa’s stomach clenched. Her nervousness from a few moments before returned tenfold.

“But you haven’t taught me anything yet,” she blurted. 

Sandor’s harsh laughter immediately brought a blush to Sansa’s cheeks. “You have to be in the water to learn how to swim, girl,” he said.

“What about in the movies when they teach someone to surf? They stay on the beach for the most part.”

“I’m not here to teach you to surf,” Sandor said. “And this isn’t the movies.”

“Well, don’t you have to teach me how to move my arms?” She knew her attempts at stalling were transparent, but Sansa didn’t care. Not when faced with the imminent prospect of swimming.

“You talk too much,” he grumbled.

“I hired you to teach me, and you want me to just jump in with no knowledge-”

“It isn’t difficult to swing your arms about and move yourself through the water.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Sansa said. “I’ve never really been swimming. And now I’m going to the ocean for the first time.”

“Your first time?” Sandor said.

“Yes.” Sansa crossed her arms half in anger and half in defense. “And it will be beautiful and warm and I won’t get to enjoy any of that if I don’t know how to swim!”

“And you’re scared of the water, is that it? Pretty little bird won’t get her wings wet.”

“I am no-”

Sandor’s hand darted toward her. Before Sansa could think to protest or move out of the way, Sandor gave her a nudge, a gentle touch that was just enough to put her off balance, and Sansa found herself falling into the pool. 

The water closed over her head, bubbles rushed up around her and obscured her vision, and a futile heaviness set over her as she felt herself sinking lower and lower. Her arms flailed hopelessly, desperate to find some sort of support.

A thunderous noise rocked through the water and more bubbles floated near her. Sansa’s arm struck something solid, and she clung to it desperately. Arms cradled and lifted her through the water. 

Sansa sputtered as her head broke the surface and found that the arms that had saved her from the water were the very same that pushed her in. 

“You could’ve killed me!” She thumped Sandor in the chest. “You call that a swimming lesson?”

“Let it be a lesson to you, little bird,” Sandor said, “that for all the pretty water you’ll find on your vacation, it will always be as unforgiving as the water was just now. Even more so.”

Sandor’s intensity shocked Sansa. When she was growing up, her parents took every precaution to shelter her from the dangers of the world. She had known this man for minutes, and he had thrown her directly into danger. But she never really was at risk; she felt that now. He had given her the experience, however unpleasant it was, without the pain.

Sandor’s voice dropped into a softer tone. “Would you like to continue?” 

She was still clinging to him as she watched a drop of water slide down from his temple to his neck. She nodded.

“Lay your head back,” he said. “Let your arms loose.”

Sansa stared at Sandor, frozen in skepticism. He tightened his hold on her slightly and gave her a meaningful look.

“The water is treacherous, but it is also beautiful.”

Slowly, Sansa removed her arms from around Sandor’s neck and let them drift into the pool. Under Sandor’s watchful gaze, the rest of her body began to relax, buoyed by the water and his hold. 

She closed her eyes and laid her head back. All sound warbled into the rush of water, and all sensation dwindled down to the stable grasp that Sandor had on her as he slowly spun them through the water. In his arms, she felt lighter than air. She felt like a bird, flying above the clouds. 

You romanticize too much, Jeyne had once told her. You add all this poetry to normal things. Like you’re in a story book or something.

Sansa eyes snapped open. Maybe she did give too much meaning to ordinary moments. Maybe she did search too hard to find beauty in mundane things. She had a tendency to stray toward the idealistic, and it only led toward dashed hopes and being pushed into pools.

And then Sansa’s eyes found Sandor’s, and she couldn’t help a small smile from escaping across her face. He had the eyes of a sap, and she’d be blind not to see it. She had forgotten herself, and Sandor seemed to enjoy it. 

In an attempt to hide the heat rising on her face, Sansa pulled herself upright. “Thank you,” she said, extending her legs and breaking free of Sandor’s hold. “That was very informative.” 

Sandor cleared his throat and nodded. “You seem to be a quick learner.” He relinquished his hold on her, and Sansa realized just how cold the pool was.

A moment of heavy silence passed before Sandor said, “I suppose I should teach you how to actually swim.”

“That would be nice.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> For the weird flyer thing, I imagined Brienne or Bronn making these brightly colored ads for their coworker to actually get some business and Sandor just being like "the fuck?" and scribbling it all out.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments!


End file.
